Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Chapter 39: More Good-byes

Nola and Neith reached the Flynn cabin. A sharp pain in Neith’s chest
answered her memory of the site where she’d feebly left a note to Miles before
having met him; before she’d seen the light in his eyes when he explained how
things worked.She felt splintered by
Elle’s willingness to let her go with Nola; Elle still trusted her, but her
tone had made clear that this was more for Nola and Miles’ sake than it was for
Neith.Neith was bracing for the worst.Elle no doubt wanted Neith to be decent about
things – say good-bye to the people she’d let care about her before she left
them.

Like their wife and mother had.

What a mess.

The best Neith could do with that mess, was hope to make this a pleasant
visit; a tolerable memory.

Neith ran her fingers through her hair again and checked for rheum
around her mouth and eyes; clear.That
was going to have to do.

They took the steps two at a time together, then stopped.There was a piece of paper tacked into the
door.Not more notes, Neith thought.

Nola’s reaction was the reverse.She began clapping.She tugged
the note down.“It says, ‘You know where
to go.’” Nola reported giddily.

Should Neith be here?This seemed
like something precious between a father and daughter.“And do you?Know where to go?”Neith asked.

“I’m pretty sure I do.”

“You know that makes one of us, right?”

“I was pretty sure of that too.”Nola pointed through the trees behind her house.“This way.”They wound through the forest at the back of Nydia.A few pinecones dangled from twine here and
there, but otherwise, they were deep enough in the wood that there were few
signs Nydia was behind them at all.

Nola came to a sharp halt, released a squeal, then bolted forwards.Neith ducked to her companion’s vantage
point.She could see what Nola had then
– a bright red ladder mounted steadfast to a tree with a very wide trunk.She picked up the pace.

By the time Neith reached the bottom rung, Nola was disappearing at the
top of the ladder, into what Neith could now see, without foliage to obscure
her view.It was the most darling tree
house she had ever seen.It was only the
second tree house she had ever seen in the real, and the first had been the
tiny tree house at the Nydia school, but still.This tree house was big.It featured a swing-bridge off to one side
that connected to a second structure, as well as draperies in all of its
windows.Neith looked around, unsure
what she was checking for – a place to wait?She started to climb after the red-haired sprite – she was her guide,
after all.

She reached the top of the ladder and found Miles.He was smiling at Neith over Nola’s head –
who was embracing him, fiercely.Nola
heard Neith’s creaking entry and released him.She took Neith by the hand and walked her through the rooms of the tree
house, explaining each addition, each small touch.

This had been Miles’ project, after the water clock.This was where he came those afternoons Nola
spent in the reading chair, at the Snow’s.

“It’s like the one in the book I told you about – the Swiss Family
Robinson?”Nola looked up at Neith, with
her big browns.“I knew Papa was up to
something – I thought maybe he had built a model of it – but this?Remember, I told you?”

“I remember.”

“Nice dress.”Miles said towards
the floor, as Neith passed him.She
pretended she hadn’t heard him.He
hadn’t missed she was in last night’s clothes beneath her usual jacket.

Neith pulled her eyes from the wonder of the morning light streaming
through the treehouse window – made from an array of smaller panes of glass –
and the warmth promised on the verandah beyond.She saw the kitchen shelves were stocked with food and dishes.The beds were made up with linen.“You’re going to live here.”Neith looked to Miles, not quite forming a
question, but it was clear she was revealing her late realisation.

Nola answered her, “Yes.Can you
believe it? Isn’t it the best Longest Day present ever?”

Miles shrugged. “I still have to move some more things from our place –
that’ll be easier, now the surprise is out, but yeah, we can live here.”

Neith’s gift-giving heart sang out in understanding.He had laboured in secret for so long.

“Our old place is for you.”Neith
heard the words, but they didn’t register.She looked from the pipes she’d been eyeing running to the sink, up to
Miles face.

“You’re talking to me?”Neith asked.

Miles nodded

“The house with the little house?”

“Well, I was planning to bring that with us, but I guess you could…”

“I’m kidding!You can’t give me a house!Big or small.”

“Jamin told me there was a chance you might stay...” he let his sentence
trail off.

Neith?Stay in Nydia.If only he knew; everything had changed 20
minutes ago.

Miles gave Nola a look that suggested she busy herself.She hesitated only briefly before climbing up
into a bed built into the wall, above their heads and looking through the
things arranged on a shelf in the wall above it.

Neith lowered her voice; “Remember how I told you I needed to have a
conversation with Elle?And after that I
could fill you in on a few things?”

“Yeah?” He was whispering too.

“Well, we’ve started that conversation...but I wouldn’t say we’re
done.”Neith needed to talk more with
Elle first.She understood Elle wanted
her to go say good-bye to Miles – but she also said they weren’t through.Elle and Neith’s conversation had stopped
when Nola had joined them, and Nola was still close by, so Neith didn’t want to
disclose anything now that Elle had thought it better not to share.

“Okaaaay,” Miles said.

“The talk isn’t over, according to Elle.Moving into your old place,” she still couldn’t believe he’s suggested
it, “It’s not so simple.I have to consider
Elle.It’s complicated.”

“It was already complicated.”

Didn’t she know it?Complicated
was having your third date with someone chained to a Nydia-tree or complicated
was asking the guy you’ve developed feelings for if he wants to do long distance
with someone on MinSci’s death
row.

Complicated was feeling loyalty to a woman who might hate you now, but
whom you need to see things through with before you attempt to see things
through with anyone else; one shocking reveal at a time.

“Does this have to do with how you need
to say good-bye?And all the weirdness
back at Aunty Elle’s?”Nola leaned down
from the loft bed, hair falling beside her cheeks.She’d been listening.Did she or Miles read more into Elle’s
instructions than short-term farewells?

“Something like that.I do have to
go.She promised to help Rose and the
baby this morning, I’m helping Ruthie with Amos and Davey …”Neith wasn’t ready to do this yet, not until
she knew where she stood with Elle, which might hint at where she would stand
with Nydia.If Elle decided dealing with
Prescott was too much of a risk, maybe they could flesh out the outbreak
façade.Or she might decide to proceed
with someone else she could trust,
for Nydia’s sake.Or would they resume
mistrust; had she failed Nydia and MinSci
in gaining any ground?She prayed now
Elle could forgive her.Neith wanted to
ask Jamin how serious he was about her staying.She wanted to know if Prescott would allow the scout to remain.

Miles smiled.“Okay, go!But come back for lunch?”She wanted to see him every day.

“I will if I can.But if I
can’t...good-bye.”

#

Neith did her best to get back to the Snow’s place quickly, but it was
hard without her little guide.She
wanted to avoid passing by too many dwellings so early in the morning – who
knew where Rose and Kit’s place was?She
didn’t want to be responsible for clumsily waking a family who had finally
snatched some sleep. So Neith arced around through the trees along what she
thought was the village border spanning the camp between Elle’s and the tree
house.This area reminded her of the
waterfall track – Ruth had taken her once, when things got more lax.Neith began looking for the tree swings she
had so often taken Amos to, and later Davey.Nola had even come once, thanks to After School Club wearing her down
and getting her talking.

Once she’d opened up, and let Neith in.

She wondered how fast Elle expected her to say good-byes and what kind
of good-byes they were.She wanted to
talk to Miles again. It had been clear
Elle wanted her to see him one more time at least, but that they might spend
some time apart while they figured things out at the Snows was also abundantly
clear.Elle was protecting her brother,
Neith got it.Neith dreaded facing her,
but she would prefer to finish ripping this band-aid off quickly.

Where were those rope
swings?The rock wall?She did not want to make Elle wait any
longer.

She was too high up on the slope, she was sure of it.Neith started to work her way down closer to
camp, stepping sideways.She slipped a
foot or two on loose pine needles but remained standing.She laughed aloud at herself.It was time to slow down.She was in a hurry, but not a
break-your-back-trying-to-get-there, hurry.Bending at the knees a little more, she resumed side-stepping more
carefully.She slipped again, this time
sailing past five or six trees – stepping and sliding upright – before landing
on her rump.It hadn’t hurt too
badly.She was pushing herself up and
taking steadying breaths when she first heard sounds suggesting she wasn’t
alone.Maybe Elle’s kids were up now,
heading for the swings.Or maybe early
birds were doing their thing.She looked
at her feet, mentally instructing them to do well by her, then raised her head
on alert, waiting for further sound to guide her back to Elle’s; sound bite
breadcrumbs.

Before she could attune to any such thing, the crack came; a cracking on
the side of her head.The point of
impact ran from her left ear across to her forehead on the same side.She registered saliva leaving her mouth from
the force of the blow.Her eyes hurt
where they slammed inside her skull.Sling-shotted
strings of fluids left her body with the first whip of her head, the whip away
from the crack before the returning lash.Stinging heat flooded her left side. She made a search of the see-sawing
landscape, her own eyelashes sabotaging her efforts to see someone, anyone.